December 25, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
563 
25 
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Christmas Day. 
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Bank Holiday. Quekett Club, 8 r.M. 
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1st Sunday after Christmas. 
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so 
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FEUIT m 1884. 
EUIT culture in this country is beset with so 
many difficulties that it is always important to 
note peculiarities of each summer, or rather 
I should say spring and summer, for spring 
weather is a factor of no mean importance in 
this work, exercising an influence for good or 
evil upon the crop which we, in a very consider¬ 
able degree, have to accept and make the best of. 
Something we may do to correct an influence 
that is so frequently baneful in its deadly effects, scattering 
to the winds hopes fully reasonable and anticipations justifi¬ 
ably bright, for does not the sight of thickly clustering 
blossom buds on firm well-ripened wood give birth to them ? 
Well is it, therefore, to note the peculiarities and results of 
the year as one calculated to exercise an influence for good 
or evil upon our work in the future. 
Brightly shone the sun of early spring upon the swelling 
buds till trees of all kinds were fast bursting into the full 
beauty of blossom, so abundant that for once a full crop of 
fruit seemed not unreasonably a foregone conclusion. How 
the fickle wind went round to the north-east, and its icy 
breath fell upon the blossoms of Plums, Cherries, and Pears 
just as the fruit was setting, is still fresh in the memory of 
my fellow sufferers, once more enforcing the necessity of 
thorough shelter for fruit trees. How thorough that shelter 
must be only those of us know who have had to undergo the 
bitter experience of the past spring, as well as that other 
trial which occasionally comes—a spring south-western gale, 
battering all blossoms and young foliage to pieces that are 
exposed to it. These are the two cross winds between 
which and the fruit trees we must interpose barriers as 
effective as possible, and in doing it we must not forget how 
searching high wind is ; how it sweeps round corners and 
darts downwards over the highest wall and trees. To plant 
belts of fast-growing trees around orchards and fruit gardens 
is not new; but in addition to that we must have shelter 
lines intersecting the garden and dividing it into snug little 
squares, and for this purpose I know no better tree than 
Thuia Lobbi. Its dense growth forms an admirable wind 
screen, so that if healthy vigorous young trees are planted 
2 feet apart the growth soon meets and intermingles, form¬ 
ing a compact hedge, which may be clipped as closely as 
may be wished; but I think it decidedly a mistake to clip 
the sides till the trees are a dozen or more feet in height, for 
an unchecked branch growth tends materially to render the 
trees robust, and also accelerates the stem growth. The 
distance apart of these hedges should be from 50 to 80 feet, 
according to the position of the garden, 50 feet affording 
space for four rows of trees 10 feet apart and 10 feet from 
the hedges, and 80 feet would admit seven rows. 
If possible, divide the garden into parallelograms rather 
than squares for cordons or palmetto verriers, and plant the 
rows from north to south, or from north-west to south-east, 
so as to lay the trees as open to the sun as possible, as well 
as to have them well sheltered. The height of the fruit 
No. 235.— VOL. IX., Tuikd Sreies. 
trees should decide that of the hedges, which ought certainly 
to be at least 6 feet higher than the fruit trees ; and here we 
have another advantage in the pliant nature and free growth 
of this Thuia, for whether the trees to be sheltered are 
6 feet or 16 feet high it will grow to and may easily be kept 
at the requisite height above them, and yet continue clothed 
to the ground with its dense evergreen branches. 
Early Cherries were almost a total failure, but the blos¬ 
soms of intermediate and late sorts did not suffer much, and 
the fruit was fairly abundant. I may mention Black 
Bigarreau as having fine large fruit of most delicious 
flavour ; but the tree is not healthy. Bigarreau, as affording 
a valuable supply of ripe fruit for a longer period than^ any 
other intermediate sort; Biittner’s Yellow for fine richly 
flavoured fruit and bright yellow colour, both qualities render¬ 
ing it a novel and attractive addition to the dessert; and Belle 
Magnifique for its splendid crop of clear bright red fruit 
so excellent for tarts, and making such delicious jam that 
most of it was used for that purpose. I believe I have 
already made favourable mention of this fine Cherry, but I 
must not lose this opportunity of strongly recommending it 
as decidedly superior to both Flemish and Kentish, to both of 
which sorts the fruit bears some resemblance, only it is 
larger, and the tree is more robust. 
Of Plums most of the choice sorts were a failure, yet I 
had plenty of fruit from the old farm orchard, where the 
Plum trees are well sheltered with one exception—a fine 
standard Green Gage exposed to the north-east, and conse¬ 
quently without fruit; yet after a favourable spring I have 
had its branches bending beneath a heavy crop of fruit. 
The other sheltered trees gave us many bushels of excellent 
fruit, for the trees are fine ones. The only sort that was not 
quite satisfactory was Coe’s Golden Drop, of which the crop 
was exceptionally heavy, but the fruit did not keep so well 
as usual; drought and abnormal heat may perhaps account 
for that. 
The crop of Pears on the cordons was not so abundant 
as usual; nor is that extraordinary, for the wall faces due 
east, and the blossoms are always liable to suffer from very 
high wind from the north-east sweeping round the tree 
screen facing this wall. The flowers did suffer this year, 
and the fruit was thinner upon the trees than I like to see 
it; but, then, how fine it was ! Never have I had such 
magnificent examples of Doyenne du Comice and Pitmaston 
Duchess ; and Dana’s Hovey was so large that I should cer¬ 
tainly have been puzzled had the fruit been brought to me 
to name. Let me own that I make no pretension to grow 
Pears for exhibition, and aim rather to obtain a full supply 
of useful fruit for table, and the thinning is only severe 
where there are enough trees of a sort to enable me to in¬ 
dulge in it. Yet where space can be had it is, of course, 
advisable to plant enough trees to be able to grow a full 
supply of really fine fruit, and the best of all forms for the 
purpose is undoubtedly the cordon. Only once before have 
I known Duchesse d’Orleans so good in flavour from a pyra¬ 
mid. It evidently requires a hot summer to develope its full 
flavour, and it then answers fully to its description in the 
“ Fruit Manual ” as being “ a most delicious Pear.” 
Monarch well sustains its high title, for no December Pear 
is equal to it in flavour. Excellent as Winter Nelis and 
Glou Mor^eau undoubtedly are, both must yield the palm 
to Monarch for flavour. Perhaps there could be no more 
severe test of this than to take ripe fruit of Glou Morceau 
from a wall tree and Monarch from a pyramid as I have 
done before writing this. Fondante d’Automne from a wall 
certainly appeared to me deficient in flavour this year ; was 
that owing to the heat ? A pyramid of Comte de Lamy had 
a full crop. This is a Pear which everybody ought to grow. 
I must not omit mention of Fondante de Charneu. I had 
not many fruit of it, but that was most delicious. It is one 
of our best late autumn Pears, which is worthy of being 
better known. 
No, 1891 .—VoL. LXXI., Old Series. 
